The use of microwave ovens for cooking is increasing due to the speed in which various foods can be cooked and due to the minimum amount of energy expended in cooking. However, utensils used in conjunction with a microwave oven have special requirements and problems. The meal rack of the present invention meets and solves a number of these special requirements and problems.
A first requirement is that the utensil be made of material which does not reflect or absorb microwave energy. If the utensil does reflect or absorb microwave energy the product being cooked will not be cooked efficiently.
A problem confronting persons cooking with microwave ovens is the uneven distribution of microwave energy throughout the oven itself. In most microwave ovens, the highest level of energy is experienced in the middle of the microwave oven while less energy is experienced at the microwave oven floor. The meal rack disclosed allows the user to take advantage of this disparity of energy. Thus, those foods requiring the most cooking are placed on the meal rack while those foods requiring less or more gentle cooking are placed on the floor of the microwave.
The most obvious advantage of the meal rack is the added cooking capacity the meal rack gives to the microwave oven. Thus, the usable space in which foods or dishes may be placed is doubled. Additionally, as outlined above, the meal rack not only doubles the capacity of the oven but gives the user various options as to cooking intensity for various foods. For this reason, a food needing a greater amount of microwave energy may be cooked at the same time as a food needing less energy.
A further problem of cooking with microwave ovens is preventing moisture to collect on the bottom of a pan or on the floor of the microwave oven. The present invention solves this problem by establishing a grid for support but allowing large areas of open space for the dissipation of moisture from products such as pizza that may be placed upon the meal rack.